“Charm them,” Jesse said. “Wear the full gun belt, makes you look really cute.”
“You are a sexist pig,” Molly said.
“Maybe you could have your hat on at a rakish angle,” Jesse said.
“Fuck!” Molly said and left the office.
Suitcase Simpson came in with a notebook.
“What’s up with Molly,” Suit said. “I think she tried to bite me when I passed her in the hall.”
“Gee,” Jesse said. “I can’t imagine.”
Simpson shrugged.
“I got some preliminary stuff on Weeks,” he said.
Jesse said, “Okay,” and nodded toward one of the chairs.
“I’ll type this all up nice on the computer,” Simpson said. “But for now I’ll give you the, ah, salient facts.”
“You’re taking courses again,” Jesse said.
“Just one night a week,” Simpson said. “In a few years I’ll get my associate’s degree.”
“Onward and upward,” Jesse said. “Whaddya got that’s salient?”
“He was born in 1953 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Went to high school there. Got a job after high school as a disc jockey, had a series of radio jobs, went to D.C. as a weatherman. Ended up with a talk show. Talk show got syndicated. And... you know. The rest is history. When he died he had a show on national cable two nights a week.”
“Walton’s Week,” Jesse said.
“Right, and five days a week on national radio,” Suit said.
“Walton Weeks: How It Is.”
“You listen to him?” Suit said.
“No.”
“He’s written a coupla books,” Suit said. “I ordered them online.”
Jesse nodded.
“He’s been married three times.”
“Was he married at his death?” Jesse said.
“Far as I know. Lorrie Weeks.”
“So where is she?” Jesse said.
“Haven’t found her address yet.”
“But why hasn’t she showed up here?” Jesse said. “It’s national news.”
Suit shrugged.
“How about the other wives?” Jesse said.
“Got names,” Suit said. “Haven’t found addresses yet.”
“Kids?”
“Not that I know about,” Suit said.
“Famous guy dies publicly, and no one shows up,” Jesse said.
“Not quite.”
“Somebody?” Jesse said.
“Bodyguard called in,” Suit said.
“Bodyguard,” Jesse said.
“Guy named Conrad Lutz.”
“Conrad did a hell of a job,” Jesse said. “You got an address for him?”
“Langham Hotel,” Suit said. “In Boston. He was there with Weeks.”
“Post Office Square,” Jesse said.
“I guess,” Suit said. “Molly told him to come in for an interview.”
“When?”
“ASAP,” Suit said.
“Press will swarm him,” Jesse said.
He shrugged.
“But that’s what they do,” he said.
“You think Weeks was afraid of something?” Suit said. “You know, having a bodyguard?”
“He was a famous man who annoyed a lot of people,” Jesse said.
“Be good to know who they were,” Suit said.
“Maybe Conrad will know,” Jesse said.
8
“Jesse,” the voice on the phone said, “it’s Daisy Dyke. I need you to come up here.”
“Business?” Jesse said.
“Yes, but could you come by yourself, like quiet?”
“Sure. I’ll walk over.”
“Thank you.”
When he went out of the station house, he had to push his way through the press.
“I’m going to lunch,” Jesse said.
He said nothing else and ignored all questions. It was a ten-minute walk to Daisy’s Restaurant. Three of the reporters tagged after him. Daisy met him at the door. She was a big, strong-looking woman with blond hair and a red face.
“We ain’t open yet,” she said to the three reporters. She let Jesse in and locked the door.
“I don’t know what to do,” Daisy Dyke said. “I figured I should talk to you first.”
“Okay,” Jesse said.
“There’s a woman in my Dumpster,” Daisy said.
“A woman,” Jesse said.
“She’s dead,” Daisy said.
Jesse took a deep breath and tipped his head back and stretched his neck.
“You know how she died?” Jesse said.
“God, no,” Daisy said. “But she’s got blood on her.”
“I’m going to have to look,” Jesse said. “And then we’re going to have to get her out of there. And then we’re going to have to...” Jesse spread his hands. “...investigate.”
“I know. I’m just worried about the fuckheads in the press ruining my business,” Daisy said.
“We’ll sneak as long as we can,” Jesse said.
“But eventually they’ll have to find out,” Daisy said.
“Day at a time,” Jesse said. “First, you take them some kind of nice snack, and let them sit at the sidewalk tables and eat it.”
“I made some rhubarb scones this morning,” Daisy said.
“Good. Give them that with coffee, and I’ll slide out the back door and look at the woman.”
“I gotta give them more than one scone?” Daisy said.
“Yes,” Jesse said and walked to the back door.
He waited there until he heard Daisy open the front door. Then he went out the back.
She was there, on her back in the Dumpster, surrounded by garbage. The blood had dried black on her chest. There was no blood visible anyplace else. Not very old. Maybe thirty. Her clothes were expensive and she had probably been good-looking. Now she was not good-looking. He clenched his jaw and opened her blouse. There were bullet holes. He shook his head. Somebody else could count them. He closed her blouse again and wiped his hands on his pants.
“Dead for a while,” Jesse said to no one.
He glanced at the restaurant and shrugged and took out his cell phone.
9
Suitcase Simpson was the first to arrive, walking up the alley behind the restaurant.
“I parked behind the market,” he said.
He looked at the body in the Dumpster.
“You tell how she died?”
“Shot in the chest,” Jesse said.
“Why we sneaking around?”
“Stalling the press.”
“Soon as the ME truck shows up, they’ll spot it,” Suit said. “They ain’t going to park and sneak in.”
“Secure the scene,” Jesse said. “I’m going to talk with Daisy.”
“I got no tape with me,” Suit said. “It’s in the car.”
“Suit,” Jesse said. “Just don’t let anyone fuck with the body, okay?”
“Oh,” Suit said. “Secure like that.”
Jesse nodded and went back into the restaurant. The two waitresses were setting the tables for lunch. Daisy stood with her arms folded, glaring out through the front window at the reporters drinking her coffee and eating her scones.
“Fucking vultures,” she said.
“Without them you got no morning paper,” Jesse said.
“They should mind their own business,” Daisy said.
“We are their business,” Jesse said. “You got a murder victim in your Dumpster, Daisy.”
“Well, you know,” Daisy said, “I sort of figured she didn’t jump in there for a nap.”
“We can stall the press for an hour or two maybe. But they’re going to know.”
Daisy nodded, and kept nodding as she stared out her window.
“It’s just a crime scene,” Jesse said. “You might want to close the place today. By tomorrow you’ll be old news.”
Daisy kept nodding, her thick arms folded over her considerable chest, her body rocking slightly.
“You might not want to be too colorful,” Jesse said.